| Vertical drop: | 935 feet |
| Base elevation: | 865 feet |
| Peak elevation: | 1,800 feet |
| Skiable acres: | 117 |
| Longest run: | 1 mile |
| Trails: | 23 |
Located in south-central Pennsylvania, Whitetail is a comfortable 90-minute jog down I-70 from D.C. and Baltimore. Skiers and boarders will find 23 trails, a 935-foot vertical, and a high-speed quad. Whitetail’s convenient location to D.C. also means skiers and boarders will often find crowds — on weekends and holidays, Whitetail’s slopes can become as crowded as the Washington Beltway during rush hour. On non-holiday weekdays, the crowds completely disappear and you’re likely to have the slopes to yourself.
Whitetail has a strong track record of continuous capital improvements. Over the past couple decades, it has added new trails, expanded its base lodge, added a snow tubing park, expanded lighting across the slopes, and made significant snowmaking improvements. Whitetail’s state-of-the-art snowmaking system can quickly take slopes from bare to skiable with just a few nights of snowmaking.
Whitetail is now part of the Vail Resorts family after a 2019 purchase. Previously, it was owned by Peak Resorts, and before that, Snow Time. Its new ownership means you can purchase a single Epic pass and ski at Whitetail, Liberty, Roundtop, Jack Frost, Big Boulder, and dozens of resorts across North America.
Skiers at Whitetail are pampered by a modern base lodge and amenities such as free ski check. Food is reasonable, with cafeteria-style food available in the Market Place. Other dining options include sit-down service at the Solstice, and brick oven pizzas at Mountain Hearth Pizzeria.
Whitetail developed a residential village that lines the Northern Lights beginner ski slope, but despite this lodging, Whitetail does not offer many year-round activities except for golf and is primarily a day resort in the winter. In 2019, Whitetail was granted its first liquor license.
Photo by M. Scott Smith.
| Resort Name: | Whitetail Resort |
| Vertical Drop: | 935 feet |
| Base Altitude: | 865 feet |
| Peak Altitude: | 1,800 feet |
| Trails: | 23 Trails:
|
| Skiable Acres: | 117 |
| Longest Run: | 1 mile |
| Lifts: | 9 (1 high-speed quad, 3 quads, 2 doubles, 3 magic carpets) |
| Night Skiing: | Night skiing on all trails |
| Terrain Park: | Two terrain parks. |
| Tubing Park: | Serviced by an enclosed magic carpet and its own lodge. |
| Address: | 13805 Blairs Valley Road Mercersburg, PA 17236 |
| Phone: | (717) 328-9400 |
| Social Media: |   |
| Webcams: | View resort webcams |
| Web Site: | http://www.skiwhitetail.com/ |
| Directions: | Via Google Maps |
| Humidity: | 45% | Visibility: | 10.00 |
| Wind Speed: | 5 mph
 |
Sunrise: | 6:23 a.m. |
| Barometer: | 30.14 in | Sunset: | 7:58 p.m. |
| Dewpoint: | 33 °F |
Weather supplied by the National Weather Service. Errors or reporting delays may be possible.
March 21, 2024 - Vail Resorts has begun selling its line of Epic Pass products for the 2024/2025 winter season, even as lifts continue running at many of its properties across the U.S. A range of passes is available to Mid-Atlantic skiers and boarders including the Epic Pass, Epic Local Pass, Northeast Value Pass, and Epic Day Pass.
January 15, 2024 - In this story, we take a look at six barriers of entry for new skiers and snowboarders. If you’re trying to convince a friend to try skiing for the first time, understanding — and being empathetic to — these reservations will go a long way towards easing their concerns.
December 21, 2023 - Pennsylvania’s Laurel Mountain and Whitetail Resorts will both begin their winter season at 9 a.m. on Saturday, December 23, 2023, just after Hidden Valley and Roundtop Mountain Resorts open for their season on Friday. Virginia’s Omni Homestead Resort will also open its ski slopes on Saturday.
December 21, 2023 - The steady beat of Mid-Atlantic resort openings continues this week as Pennsylvania’s Hidden Valley and Roundtop Mountain Resorts plan to kick off their winter season on Friday, December 22, 2023.
November 26, 2023 - The sound of snowguns began ringing out across the Mid-Atlantic region in recent days, as post-Thanksgiving temperatures dipped below freezing. With the nighttime mercury dropping into the 20s in the coming days, the symphony of snowguns should continue as local resorts prepare for their season openings. DCSki provides a gallery of snowmaking photos from across the region and explains how the technology works. Above, snowguns begin to blanket the slopes of Seven Springs Mountain Resort on November 25, 2023.
November 24, 2023 - DCSki profiles the latest enhancements at Vail Resorts’ eight Pennsylvania ski areas, including Laurel Mountain, Hidden Valley, Seven Springs, Liberty Mountain, Roundtop Mountain, Whitetail, and Jack Frost/Big Boulder Resorts.
October 8, 2023 - Epic and Ikon Passes are both set to rise in price October 11 and 12, 2023, respectively.
November 27, 2022 - Below average temperatures in November have enabled a variety of ski areas across the entire Mid-Atlantic region to open for the season, giving skiers one extra thing to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.
April 25, 2022 - It is once again Spring, which means it’s time to consider purchasing a season pass for the 2022-2023 winter season before prices begin to inch up. DCSki breaks down the choices and factors Mid-Atlantic skiers should consider as they explore available pass options.
March 6, 2022 - Known as “Crush” on the DCSki Forums, Eric has been posting to DCSki for over 20 years — even as he’s changed locations from D.C. to Park City to North Lake Tahoe. Learn more about Eric in this interview.
